4 Replies Latest reply: Feb 2, 2006 10:29 AM by john beardsworth RSS

    Population of XML file from bridge?

    skeeze Community Member
      I have a flash runtime for displaying pictures that reads the filename, thumbnail filename and a description of the picture and it reads the information from an .xml file. What I would like to do is type in a description of each picture using metadata in bridge, highlight the pictures I want (in the order I want them in) and have bridge perform the following tasks.

      1. Resize them to the size I specify.
      2. Create a small thumbnail of it (again at a specified size).
      3. Create and populate an .xml file with the information described above for each picture selected.

      I am quite sure 1 and 2 should be fairly easy, but don't know if #3 is even possible. Does anybody have any bright ideas?
        • 1. Re: Population of XML file from bridge?
          Community Member
          Can you explain in more detail what you will be typing in - is it just one metadata field, and perhaps give an example of what the resulting xml file will contain. Also when will you be typing it - do you envisage doing this individually for each image one at a time? It is easy to write text files with Bridge or Photoshop so 3 should be no problem, 1 and 2 will have to be done in Photoshop but they could be contained in an action which Bridge then runs batch over.

          On the other hand Bridge has some pretty efficient built in mechanisms for populating image metadata so perhaps you do not need to make a custom xml file.

          Andrew
          • 2. Re: Population of XML file from bridge?
            john beardsworth Community Member
            It may not be a scripting question. In the case of 3, have you not looked at the Flash galleries that come with Bridge? These are powered by XML data and I'd look at the templates and how they generate the XML.
            • 3. Re: Population of XML file from bridge?
              skeeze Community Member
              Thanks for the info. There are flash galleries that come with bridge, but how would you find out how they are generating XML? I would think that is code inside the program itself that is not available for viewing. Anyway, here is the xml that is needed. Here is the basic workflow I need.

              1. Add a brief description to each photo using one of the attribute fields in bridge.
              2. Select pictures in bridge in the order you want them to appear.
              3. Resize the pictures and optimize them for the web at a consistent size.
              4. Create a thumbnail graphic.
              5. Copy the images and thumbnails to a specified directory.
              6. Create an xml file as shown below.

              Again, thanks in advance for any help!

              <gallery>
              <setup path="../images/"/>
              <item>
              <thumb>t6.jpg</thumb>
              <img>6.jpg</img>
              <caption>Giraffe! </caption>
              </item>
              <item>
              <thumb>t12.jpg</thumb>
              <img>12.jpg</img>
              <caption>A pair of parrots</caption>
              </item>
              <item>
              <thumb>t11.jpg</thumb>
              <img>11.jpg</img>
              <caption>Playing pandas</caption>
              </item>
              </gallery>
              • 4. Re: Population of XML file from bridge?
                john beardsworth Community Member
                Generate a flash gallery and examine the output - you'll see a couple of XML files including much of the info you mention.